


All the time

by lady81bird



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Coda, Future, Gen, Khan and crew, ST:ID
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-08
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-14 07:49:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/834454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady81bird/pseuds/lady81bird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khan wakes up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the time

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is the result of me finally seeing ST:ID. Given that the main reason I went to see it was so I could read and understand post-ST:ID fanfics, writing one was an unexpected consequence.
> 
> I think that by our standard, and that of the Federation's, Khan is batshit crazy and mortally dangerous. But a lot of things happening in the movie were the consequences of other people screwing up bad, so you could say Khan and his crew were collateral damage. Or, in the timeline on the movies: "We brought this on ourselves."
> 
> Also, I think Jim Kirk would be someone to understand loyalty to one's crew. When he has time to calm down and think about what happened.

Khan wakes up.

He didn't expect to, not really. 

He's not all that sure what he thought the Federation would do with him and his crew - let them sleep on forever, forgotten somewhere? Jettison them into the Sun? But he sure didn't think waking up somewhere, somewhen was an option.  
Not after what happened last time he was woken.

"Khan?" 

Leila is kneeling next to him. 

All around them he can hear whispers, groans, the sounds of disorientation after a long deep sleep.

And behind that, farther away, the sounds of a planet. Some kind of animals, some kind of birds. Wind. None of it really familiar. Not Earth, then. Nor Kronos. The list of planets familiar to him is rather short.

Khan looks around. He is - they all are - in a tent of some kind. Not really a tent, though. The walls are made from a sturdier material. But not a building either. A temporary place. A place for them to wake up in, somewhat safe from the elements and the world outside. Somehow Khan does not think this world in inhabited by anything with a higher intelligence. Not when he can see things stacked up by the wall that look to him as farming equipment. And mining tools. And chests that probably contain supplies to start them off. 

It seems somebody dropped them on this world and gave them tools to make a life with. If they can manage it. 

Of course they can manage it.

Still... Who and why? And where? Also, when?

Khan looks at Leila.

"You are one of the last to wake up. You were deeper than the others." She tucks a strand of her corkscrew hair behind her ear. It falls right back down. She used to be so exasperated by it. Super genetic engineering and still nothing can be done about those Afro hair. He likes her hair like that, willful and unruly. Like her. He always has.

"There's a message. You should see it. It's clearly addressed to you. There are things you need to tell us." 

She stands up. 

"But later. There is time, I think." 

She smiles and beckons him.

"Come," Leila says, "you have to hear the message." 

Khan stands up. He feels stiff at first, like after a long sleep. Well, he does have a feeling that he slept long.

He follows Leila. 

They are sitting around the projection cube. Michel and Syriel and Timat and Lycen. And Leila. If Khan were to use the Federation terms he might call them his bridge crew. Alpha shift bridge crew. His closest. 

The terms do not really matter. They are here and they are awake.

"Hey," says Lycen. "Slept well?"

He's smiling. 

"I did indeed," says Khan. And smiles. After all, why not? These are his crew, all of them, all around him.

"We listened to the message," says Syriel, "and I think we got the gist of it. But it seems you had some adventures without us, so you might get more out of it."

He gestures at the cube. Timat runs her fingers over its top. The message starts playing again.

The speaker is an old man. An old Vulcan. He is familiar to Khan.

"Greetings, Khan." 

The Vulcan is quiet for a moment. Then he smiles. It is strange to see him smile. But then, the last time Khan saw this Vulcan, he had very little to smile about.

"I am doing this on the behalf of my..." there's a pause in his speech, and that smile again. "... my captain. Jim Kirk. I think you do remember him, Khan."

He pauses again. Spock, Khan remembers. This Vulcan is called Spock.

"I do think you do, Khan," the Vulcan says. "After all, for you almost no time has passed."

He pauses again, apparently deep in though. Deep in memories, perhaps?

"For me however," the one called Spock gestures at himself," as you can guess quite some time has passed."

He looks straight into the camera. 

"You slept long, Khan, you and your crew. And you would have slept longer, if not the last will of my captain. With whom I spent most of the past two hundred years."

The Vulcan pauses again.

"Thank you for that, Khan. If not for your blood, he would have died soon after your fight. Of course," the Vulcan - Spock - tilts his head thoughtfully, "if not for you he would not have been in danger at all. But he always understood you actions and motivations far better that I could. That's why he was the captain, I suppose."

Spock is quiet for a while. Next to him Khan can hear Leila breathing, quick and sharp. Timat - low and steady, like always. Michel, Syriel, Lycen. They are here, with him.

"He remembered you," Spock finally says. 

"And near the end, he spoke about you. About you and your crew. He expressed a wish that you should not sleep forever but have chance to do someting with your lives. Something that does not involve weapons, war and genocide. So..."  
Spock waves his hand.

"Here you are. This planet is habitable, but far away from any space faring civilizations and undiscovered. Probably will be for quite a while. And it is in the Delta quadrant. Captain Janeway..." Spock stops. 

"But that story has no importance in the current situation. You are here. Nobody knows where you are. Nobody will come looking for you. What you do is your own business. There is some useful equipment for you. I considered adding the means for the gene scans and in utero gene mutation corrections, on the account of so small a starting group for future population... But the research shows that genetic mutations will not be a problem for you. The scientists did their work well."

He is silent again. And then nods, obviously in response to his own thoughts. He looks into the camera again. 

"Good luck Khan, to you and your crew. May we never meet again. Spock out." 

The transmission ends. 

There is silence. And then Michel shrugs. 

"So, Khan. It is obvious that he knows you. That means you probably know him. I have a feeling there's an hell of a story behind it."

"Food first," Leila says. "I haven't eaten in centuries. Story later. We have time."

Khan does not argue. She is right. They finally have time.

They have all the time in the world. This world. 

Their world.

They are finally home.


End file.
